IHS Will Host Original Artwork, Covers from The Saturday Evening Post

Indianapolis—The Indiana Historical Society will welcome Covering America in the 1950s and early 1960s: The Saturday Evening Post Magazine, which will open Oct. 8 and run through Feb. 19, 2011. The exhibition will be on display in the Rose McKee Lanham Gallery at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center. The History Center, home of the IHS and the Indiana Experience, is located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.

Featuring 30 original works of art alongside the covers they graced, the exhibition showcases a magazine that captured the heart and soul of the United States and includes three works by Norman Rockwell: Road Block (Home Plate), Saying Grace (charcoal), and Elect Casey.

The featured decade was one of tremendous growth and change. The post-World War II boom in the economy meant drastic shifts in the way Americans lived, worked and played. Many returning war veterans and their families moved out of cities and into newly developed suburbs. Americans also began to travel more across the country in their newly affordable automobiles using the newly created national highway system.

The Saturday Evening Post covers during that time celebrated suburban life, promoting travel, the great outdoors and family vacations—the American Dream. Artists showcased included Norman Rockwell, John Clymer, Stevan Dohanos, John Falter, George Hughes, Amos Sewell, Richard Sargent, Mead Schaeffer and Thorton Utz.

“We’re excited to be presenting this glimpse of history through art at the History Center,” said IHS President and CEO John A. Herbst. “It’s such an evocative exhibition, and we’re sure our guests will enjoy it.”

Joan SerVaas, chief executive officer and publisher of The Saturday Evening Post, said, “It’s a pleasure to share some of our many famous covers illustrating the American life and experience with the people of our hometown of Indianapolis, where The Post remains headquartered today.”

In addition to Covering America, the IHS will also host a selection of holiday covers from The Saturday Evening Post from mid-November through the end of the calendar year.

Covering America in the 1950s and early 1960s is included in admission to the Indiana Experience. Cost is $7 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and $5 for children ages 5 to 17. IHS members and children younger than five receive complimentary admission. For information on IHS programs, call (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org. To learn more about The Saturday Evening Post, please visit www.thesaturdayeveningpost.com.

About The Saturday Evening Post

The Saturday Evening Post, America’s oldest magazine, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, continues its proud history of publishing periodicals that inspire, inform, and entertain people in households across the United States as it has for generations.

About the Indiana Historical Society

Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor exhibitions called the Indiana Experience. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups, publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; and provides youth, adult and family programming. The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, home of the IHS and the Indiana Experience, is located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.